Lens-Artists Challenge #301 – Books

/ Leya / 30 kommentarer

Ritva has chosen books as her brilliant topic – and who doesn’t love books? My children used to call me the saint of all books…

Partly because – my life has revolved around books. Reading and writing, learning, practising and teaching.

Being a teacher I had this sign on one of my book shelves at school, saying: Literature helps us understand ourselves and the world and contributes to build an identity of our own. So true.

The Long Room at Trinity College, Dublin – a marvelous library. MANY books. Beautiful books in a beautiful room.

In our old churches, the biblical stories were painted on the walls for the illiterate – and on this Swiss house we found Adam and Eve. I don’t think they are illiterate though…

My heart jumps with joy when I see a youngster with a book instead of a phone. Maybe we are not lost yet…

In this library in Prague they certainly knew how to make the kids interested.

An abandoned book in an old shut down factory. I went exploring there with my son and found many interesting things to photograph.

They say books open up new worlds…and so they do. Yacek Yerka illustrates this so well.

My daughter once gave me this piece of an Encyclopedia Britannica. She had folded every page herself.

Well, it all started long before she could read…and long before she became a dentist. Her favourite thing still is – pulling out teeth…

Luckily, she is still an avid reader – and now that she is married, she also begins a new chapter in her own Book of Life.

I’ll finish off with this happy double exposure of a bookstore My daughter often visited during her years in Umeå.

In the header, Codex Gigas from the 13th century.

In conclusion, zooming last week with Anne was fun and, to many of us, a new experience. Her challenge was an excellent reminder of the joy of learning something new. I hope you have fun joining us again this week. Remember to tag Lens-Artists; also, please link back to Ritva’s original post.

Next week is Sofia’s turn to host, Saturday 7th June. Until then, be good and keep smiling!

If you want to know more about the Lens-Artists Challenge, please click here.

Lens-Artists Challenge #350 – Zooming

/ Leya / 34 kommentarer

Your challenge this week is to take your camera and zoom lens out for some zooming. Anne is our guide in this fun challenge which takes some practice…

My offerings were not made this week, as I have been extremely busy with many birthday parties and also my daughter’s wedding. Our last guests will be leaving in a couple of days – so much joy and fun, but also looking forward to return to my ordinary life.

The bird bath sits among the flowers, and made a lovely start. I was glad there were no birds harmed in the swirling scene!

I tried to keep only one flower in the middle… Many tries on this one!

It was easier with multiple flowers. They turned the picture into a waterfall.

Another one-flower-focus.

This Agapanthus I was quite happy with – after thirty or more takes.

Why not a tomato?

”My photographs are a celebration of life, fun and the beautiful. They are a world that doesn’t exist. A fantasy.”

– Ryan McGinley

Thank you to Tina for her challenge: “The First Thing I Thought Of.” It’s amazing how a picture can have several different interpretations!

So,
have fun, try something new, get creative and yes, enjoy exploring new techniques and ideas. You never know what can happen! We hope you’ll join us this week, making sure to visit and link to Anne’s challenge here, and to use the Lens-Artists tag to help us find you.

Finally, we hope you’ll join us again next week when Ritva leads us once again. Until then as always please stay safe, be kind, and enjoy the adventure.

Macro Monday – In Memory of Cee

/ Leya / 20 kommentarer

I just found out that our dear blogger friend Cee Neuner passed away on March 3, 2025. She will be forever loved and remembered in the blogging world.♥

Lens Artists Challenge 349 – The First Thing I thought of…

/ Leya / 35 kommentarer

when I saw this…

Not many times we find ourselves in a sitution that coinsides with a sign or an advertisement right at the place we are… We were hopelessly lost in Tokyo a late night in a part of the city without recognisable street names. You know – when you think you know the way home to your hotel, but are walking in the wrong direction… I can say it was not funny. All shops closed and not a single person in the streets. Finally a biker came to the rescue…phew.

How extremely Fancy! I found out this phenomenon was not as unusual as I first thought – a Digitalis Peloria. But it surely looked too fancy to be real. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I would have thought it was an AI thing. I don’t know about you, but nowadays I question almost too many pictures in media…

A forest fayerie? This was a lovely surprise!

I did NOT walk down that street – I have had too many dreams of walls falling in on me…

Wanås – the first time I saw a Wish tree! They are still there, and both the wishes and the trees have grown and multiplied. A brilliant idea brought here by Yoko Ono. I believe it to be therapeutic to write and read wishes. I take photos and read many of them every year. (And write at least one new wish.)

Well…what did I dooo??? Mille was our first lagotto and a very lively and expressive soul…

CF Reuterswärd’s brilliant non-violence statue – I remember how clever I thought he was. And I still think so. The message so clearly comes through. No words needed. Somewhere I still have a knotted pin too.

WHAAAT? In Tokyo every big shop has an umbrella drier. I had to study it real close to see how it worked. The Japanese are really clever and innovative.

I found these relaxing in a grand castle garden in England – And I felt how I get tired just fixing my own little garden… – more chairs needed!

This stone I found in a graveyard in Prague – I had to look twice. I really had to.

Thanks to Tina for this creative challenge. I’ve already had quite a few good laughs from the responses I’ve seen. Last week, Egidio’s Serenity challenge calmed us with the many serene reactions from everyone.

As Patti announced back in late March, she broke both of her wrists after a bad fall and unfortunately she is still unable to type. She’s postponed her return until November. We wish her continued improvement and look forward to having her back with us then.

Some more news! As you might have already read in Tina’s post, we are excited to have Beth of Wandering Dawgs joining the Lens-Artists team. She is a long-time participant and will be a great addition to our team. We very much look forward to having her on board and the new inspiration she will bring us. Welcome Beth, looking forward to your first challenge.

Be sure to link your responses to Tina’s post , and to use the Lens-Artists Tag to help us find you. Anne from Show Shutter Speed will lead us next week, so be sure to check out her post next Saturday. Until then, be kind and keep smiling 😀